Ah, December! This is absolutely my favourite time of year.

Christmas trees, mulled wine, stockings, pantomime, parties, good will and a sub-tropical nip in the air, it's all irresistible. Except there's just one tiny flaw isn't there? Who was it that came up with fruitcake?

Every year I watch friends and family push Christmas cake around their plates. There are two problems. Firstly, everyone's full from lunch ? and will be for the next few days. Secondly, no one likes fruitcake. Well a few people do but these rare and odd people don't like marzipan. In fact, I've never met someone that likes fruitcake and marzipan. Sometimes, you come across a good husband and wife team (one likes cake, the other marzipan), but other than that, there's a lot of rejected raisins hanging around on Christmas day.

However, in our house, if you suggest not making Christmas cake, there's a bit of an uproar. It's a little like suggesting we're too old for stockings. So fortunately last year, I made an amazing discovery.

Despite the fact that many gluten, wheat or dairy-free alternatives are never quite as good as the real thing (though this has improved vastly ? see previous article online), every now and then you come across a culinary miracle. This recipe is one of them.

Now I was sceptical about this too, but honestly, this surpasses any other fruitcake I have ever tried. Even die-hard fruitcake haters love it!

As is the way in Bermuda, you will of course have to do a multiple grocery store shop for the ingredients but it's well worth the effort. And not only does this mean that you may genuinely love your Christmas cake this year, but even those with gluten, wheat or dairy allergies can enjoy it too.

Christmas is often fairly traumatic for those with food allergies or intolerances as unfortunately, most traditional treats contain either gluten or dairy, often both. For example cakes and cookies contain flour and butter and chocolate usually contains milk or butter fat. And although enforced treat-abstinence is one way to make it through the holiday season without piling on the pounds, it's not much fun if you can't have anything at all.

Unless you have serious health concerns, it's unlikely that a few Christmas treats will do you any harm, especially if you eat healthily and exercise the majority of the time.

Allowing yourself a few treats is also one way to manage calorie overload during the festive season. Most people who deny themselves everything, tend to fall off the wagon spectacularly at some point.

However, it is crucial to take it easy over Christmas, as many people never lose the pounds they pile on during the festivities each year. So, aside from treats-in-moderation, more tips on preventing holiday weight gain are coming up later this month. In the meantime, gather your ingredients together for this cake ? and make something that all your friends and family can enjoy, even those with food allergies.

175g Earth Balance vegan margarine (Down to Earth, Lindos)

110g molasses

75g soft, dark brown sugar

150ml Silk soy milk (red carton)

110g dates, chopped

300g raisins

200g dried plums,chopped

110g glace cherries, chopped

225g brown rice flour (Down to Earth, Harrington Hundreds)

2 tsp gluten-free baking powder (widely available)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg 110g ground almonds (I got mine from Miles)

2 lemons, the grated rind of

3 eggs

1. Place the margarine, molasses, sugar and soy milk in a large pan along with all the dried fruit. Heat gently and stir until all the margarine has melted.

2. Simmer for one minute and then take off the heat and cover. Leave the fruit to "swell" for at least two hours ? even overnight if you have time.

3. Line the base and sides of a round (8-inch) or square (7-inch) cake tin with baking paper. Make sure that the paper rises at least 5 cm above the rim of the tin.

4. Put all the other ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix roughly.

5. Add the fruit mixture and mix by hand or using an electric mixer (not a blender) on low speed. Mix well.

6. Pour the cake mix into the tin and smooth the surface with a wet knife.

7. Bake for two hours and 40 minutes at 250 F or 110 C (fan assisted)/130C (no fan).

8. Leave to cool in the tin until cold.

9. Ice as you would an ordinary Christmas cake, or make a "butter" icing using Earth Balance margarine, icing sugar and a little brandy.